VMware vCenter Server is the universal hub for managing your VMware vSphere environment. vCenter Server provides unified management of all hosts and virtual machines in a datacenter from a single console. vCenter Server allows administrators to improve control, simplify day-to-day tasks and reduce the complexity and cost of managing an IT environment.

Rated 5 out of 5 by Muhammad Adel from Leverages the migration with unshared storage. Helps manage main and DR sites simultaneously.Valuable Features:VMware is the market leader in virtualization. I like the following vMotion improvements in the current version:* vMotion across virtual switches: There are no restrictions now to migrate VMs across switches (standard/distributed). It is valuable to me for an upgrade or when moving my datacenter.* vMotion across vCenter Servers: This leverages the migration with unshared storage. In simple terms, VM1 is running on a certain host/cluster, which runs on a certain datastore and is managed by vCenter 1. It can be vMotioned to different ESXi hosts, which have different datastores managed by another vCenter server, called vCenter 2.* Long Distance vMotion: I can now perform reliable migrations between hosts and sites that are separated by high network round-trip latency times. This is an official definition. For me, it helps me to manage main and DR sites simultaneously and in an effective way.Improvements to My Organization:* Reduces the data center footprint: Fewer servers and less power consumption* Reduces the overall footprint of your entire data centerRoom for Improvement:They still have restrictions on fault tolerance features and managing snapshots.Use of Solution:I've been using VMware products since 2009 and this version for more than six months.Stability Issues:We have not encountered any stability issues.Scalability Issues:We have not encountered any scalability issues.Technical Support:I am satisfied with the technical support. Some support cases needed to be escalated, but overall it is good.Previous Solutions:I used different solutions from different vendors. VMware products are the most stable/scalable products on the market. VMware can integrate easily with other vendors.Initial Setup:The setup was easy. Some basics should be taken into consideration first.Cost and Licensing Advice:Just focus on the features you need. Sometimes we misunderstand feature and pricing equations.Other Solutions Considered:I tested it myself in my lab. Also, I visited some companies which work with this product to see it in action.Other Advice:This solution has lots of features. Just be aware of all of them and you will get the most out of it.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Date published: 2017-03-30

Rated 3 out of 5 by Saeed Mulla from It enabled deployment of the virtual machines via templates and distributed switches. If the browser crashes, then any progress is lost on the vCenter.Valuable Features:vMotion between the hosts, deployment of the virtual machines via templates and distributed switches are some valuable features of this product.Improvements to My Organization:It allowed us to move from a physical environment to a virtual environment. It also allowed us to install much more of the hardware, i.e., up to 30+ virtual machines on a single physical server.Room for Improvement:There is need for high availability for the vCenter and also a faster/responsive vCenter web interface.Use of Solution:I have used this solution for six years.Stability Issues:Sometimes we have encountered vCenter/vSphere issues that requires the service to restart or the server restarts. The web interface has a lot going on and if the browser crashes, then any progress is lost on the vCenter.Scalability Issues:I did not encounter any scalability issues for the VMs.Technical Support:The technical support is good. I had to use it for iSCSI related issues and was told to upgrade to latest build. However, it didn't fix the issue.Previous Solutions:I was not using any other solution previously.Initial Setup:I set up a clustered virtual environment and distributed switches with integration into EMC VNX using VLANs for each SP for iSCSI traffic.Cost and Licensing Advice:It is expensive for the private sector but it does have a good pricing policy for the charity sector.Other Solutions Considered:We tested Hyper-V - but this was back in 2009. It was very basic then.Other Advice:You need to place more time into the design phase. You should also build higher spec servers in order to save costs on the licensing.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Date published: 2017-03-02

Rated 5 out of 5 by Benedict Rosner from One of the benefits is that you can deploy a virtual machine and any environment you want in seconds.Valuable Features:One of the most valuable features of vCenter is the high availability feature so we can have basically one of the out warehouse to DIMS and all of our important VMs are still running.Improvements to My Organization:One of the benefits is that you can just deploy a virtual machine and any environment you want in seconds.Room for Improvement:I guess all the features I'd like to see of future releases are being announced for version 6.1. All my needs are satisfied right now.Use of Solution:We're using VMware vCenter based on ESX for virtualization. For our development teams, we're using VMware Player as well as Workstation.Stability Issues:In terms of stability, we didn't have any problems yet so it's basically rock solid.Scalability Issues:Scalability, you can just add hosts to the vSphere solution for whatever you need.Technical Support:We haven't had to use tech support yet because the solution just runs.Previous Solutions:We knew that we needed to go for virtualization because there was this big messy server wreck with all those bare metal old servers in there. It was just crazy in terms of service. We switched to virtualization, now we're good to go.Initial Setup:The initial setup was pretty easy. I mean, I guess, we have a pretty small environment but we had a few problems with upgrading. But those were solved by our partners.Other Solutions Considered:We didn't consider any other vendors because all the other vendors didn't have the great support and the great features that you can expect from VMware.Other Advice:We didn't have any problems. If you're starting to use vSphere solutions, I guess the first thing you should do is check hardware compatibility list to make sure that all your hardware is going to be compatible with your software. After that, if you run into any problems, just check the VMware knowledge base. Basically all the information you'd need is in there.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Date published: 2015-11-01

Rated 4 out of 5 by SysAdmin935 from With vMotion, High Availability, and Distributed Resource Scheduler, we're able to administer hardware resources in a better way. But, it could use better DRS-friendly functions.Valuable Features:I'd say vMotion, High Availability, and Distributed Resource Scheduler, which have allowed us to administer hardware resources in a better way.Improvements to My Organization:With High Availability, we have had only one incident where one of the hosts failed, and the VMs were moved immediately. It took about four minutes to complete migration, thus affecting operations minimally.Room for Improvement:Reporting, and perhaps more DRS-friendly functions.Use of Solution:We've used it for almost three-and-a-half years, and previously we were using older versions, such as 2.0.Deployment Issues:No, but that is relative. Sometimes issues are raised eventually.Stability Issues:No, but it does become difficult to have a standardized infrastructure.Scalability Issues:No, but I guess cost is the main obstacle.Customer Service:So far, good service, but it's managed by our corporate office.Technical Support:It's good, but it is relative. I have been able to resolve many of our issues using the web.Previous Solutions:I used to manage an IBM solution - SAN with VMware technology.Initial Setup:It was complex, as the setup and management was not too friendly.Implementation Team:We used a vendor team and the expertise was good, but it could have been better.ROI:All I am able to say is that our SLAs have been achieved over the last two years.Cost and Licensing Advice:This depends on the particular scenarios. Ours is a big one, and requires full stability (Enterprise license). We manage four geographic areas (Mexico, China, Czech Republic and Brazil).Other Advice:Review the SLAs with customers and provide several options describing cost/benefits to them.Disclaimer: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Date published: 2015-07-29

Rated 4 out of 5 by Arjan Timmerman (vExpert) from The web client could be improved. Features I like include: High Availability, DRS, SDRS, DvSwitch, NIOC.Valuable Features:High Availability, DRS, SDRS, DvSwitch, NIOCImprovements to My Organization:Better management of the virtual infrastructureRoom for Improvement:Web Client, SSOUse of Solution:1.5 yearsDeployment Issues:NoStability Issues:NoScalability Issues:YesDisclaimer: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:We are a VMware partner in the Netherlands